Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots - Kissimmee Kylehttp://www.fairgroundsracecourse.com/taxonomy/term/1202/0
enSunday Notes: Lee's Spirit to Enter LCD Classic and Turfhttp://www.fairgroundsracecourse.com/news/archives/2012/12/02/sunday-notes-lees-spirit-enter-lcd-classic-and-turf
<div class="field field-type-text field-field-byline">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item odd">
Graham Ross, Staff Writer </div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="field field-type-text field-field-body">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item odd">
<p><strong>NEW ORLEANS (Sunday, December 2, 2012) – </strong>Trainer <strong>Eddie Johnston</strong>, who claimed the Louisiana-bred gelding <strong>Lee’s Spirit </strong>last fall on behalf of a partnership that included himself along with Scott Boudreaux and Donald Gaudet, saddled the 7-year-old son of Leestown to win the $100,000 Gold Cup at Delta Downs one month later on Oct. 27.</p>
<p>“That was a big deal for them,” Johnston said Sunday morning just after training hours when speaking of his new partners and their new acquisition that went off at better than 14-1. “It was their first win in a ‘hundred-grander’ and they got real excited about the whole thing.</p>
<p>“Actually, the horse got a perfect trip in that race,” Johnston said. “He’d been training real well going into it and everything seemed to go our way throughout the running. He may not have such an easy time of it this weekend. He’ll be running against a lot of good horses wherever he goes, and at a longer distance than the mile race he had last time.”</p>
<p>Johnstonhas nominated Lee’s Spirit to both the <strong>$150,000 Louisiana Champions Day Classic </strong>and the <strong>$100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Turf</strong> when Fair Grounds hosts its 22nd <strong>Louisiana Champions Day </strong>this Saturday, and when entries are drawn Johnston will still not have made up his mind about in which race the horse will run.</p>
<p>“I’m going to enter in both races,” Johnston said. “Then I’m going to take a look at how the weather comes up and see what post positions I get in both races, what horses go in both races and what posts they get before I decide. I nominated him in both races, so I might as well enter in both. It’s only going to cost me a few hundred dollars more and I think it will be worth it to keep my options open as late as I can.</p>
<p>“As far as I can tell, the horse seems to run equally well on both surfaces,” Johnston said. “I think he’s won six times on dirt and five times on turf, so I don’t think turf or dirt makes much of a difference to him. He can handle either one of them.</p>
<p>“I worked the horse Thursday and he went very well,” said Johnston of Lee’s Spirit, whose half-mile move was clocked in 49.60. “He’s been a real happy horse lately. He has really been enjoying himself.”</p>
<p>Johnstonis also planning to run <strong>Ladyzarbridge</strong>,a 5-year-old mare he owns in partnership with Charles Zacney, in Saturday’s <strong>$100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Ladies</strong>, where she will be defending her championship in that same race last year.</p>
<p>“She just loves the track at Fair Grounds,” Johnston said of Ladyzarbridge, who also boasts a 7 3/4-length tally in the local oval’s $60,000 Sarah Lane’s Oates in 2010. “I worked her yesterday (Saturday, four furlongs in 50 flat) and she’s been training very well.”&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>STALL TO SADDLE ‘KISSIMMEE’, ‘SISTER’ ON LOUISIANA CHAMPIONS DAY – </strong>Trainer <strong>Al Stall Jr. </strong>nominated eight horses to the series of eight Thoroughbred races that make up the <strong>Louisiana Champions Day </strong>program this coming Saturday but only two of them are going to run.</p>
<p>“The only ones I will have running will be (Red Oak Stable’s) <strong>Kissimmee Kyle </strong>and (Klaravich Stables and William Lawrence’s) <strong>Sister</strong><strong>City</strong>,” Stall said during training hours Sunday.</p>
<p>Kissimmee Kyle, slated for the <strong>$100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Turf</strong>, won Fair Grounds’ $100,000 Bayou St. John Stakes on Louisiana Derby Day last season and finished fourth in the $60,000 Mr. Sulu Stakes during Fair Grounds’ opening day on Thanksgiving Day this year.</p>
<p>SisterCity, set for the <strong>$100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Lassie</strong>, broke her maiden two starts back at Louisiana Downs and made it two straight wins with a 5 1/4-length win in first-level allowance company at Fair Grounds Nov. 23.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Al Stall Jr.Eddie JohnstonKissimmee KyleLee's SpiritSister CityBarn NotesSun, 02 Dec 2012 20:47:19 +0000jimm12386 at http://www.fairgroundsracecourse.comBattle On the Bayou Recaphttp://www.fairgroundsracecourse.com/news/archives/battle-bayou-recap
<div class="field field-type-text field-field-byline">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item odd">
Graham Ross, Staff Writer </div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="field field-type-text field-field-body">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item odd">
<p>Klaravich Stable and William Lawrence’s <strong>Populist Politics</strong>, cross-entered in Saturday’s <strong>$1 million Louisiana Derby</strong> but scratched out of that in favor of Friday’s 39th running of the <strong>$75,000 Crescent City Derby</strong> at Fair Grounds, was first under the wire by a nose the easier assignment in the Derby restricted to accredited Louisiana-bred 3-year-olds but was subsequently disqualified to third with Heartlines Horse Ranch’s <strong>Man of Strife</strong> being awarded the victory.</p>
<p>Man of Strife, always well placed by eventual winning rider <strong>Rosie Napravnik</strong>, was bumped by Populist Politics and also carried in by that rival late in the running.</p>
<p>The adjudged winner, trained by <strong>Brian House,</strong> returned mutuels of $6.40, $3.60 and $2.20 and increased his career earnings to $129,830 with his fourth win from six lifetime starts.</p>
<p>Stacey Moak’s <strong>Tonto Too,</strong> third under the wire while three-quarters of a length behind Man of Strife when forced to check behind Populist Politics, was moved up to the second position and paid $4.40 and $2.80.</p>
<p>Populist Politics, who crossed under the wire for the 1 1/16-mile distance in 1:44.53, paid $2.40 to show when moved down to the third position following his disqualification.</p>
<p><strong>STAR GUITAR DOMINATES COSTA RISING STAKES –</strong> Brittlyn Stable’s <strong>Star Guitar</strong>, who earlier this season became the first horse to win four Louisiana Champions Day stakes during the 20-year-history of Louisiana Champion Day at Fair Grounds, added to his laurels Friday with a facile score in the second running of the <strong>$75,000 Costa Rising Stakes</strong> as the initial event on the <strong>Battle on the Bayou</strong> program.</p>
<p>Star Guitar, trained by <strong>Al Stall Jr</strong>., was 1-20 in the wagering, pressed the pace under <strong>Corey Lanerie</strong>, took command in upper stretch and was 2 1/2-lengths in front at the wire.&nbsp; He returned a $2.10 straight price, increased his career earnings to $1,230,958 with his 17th win from 23 lifetime starts and accomplished the distance of 1 1/16-miles in 1:43.30.</p>
<p>Heiligbrodt Racing Stable’s <strong>Heavenville</strong>, who set the early pace in 25.18 and 49.01, held down the second spot at the wire, finishing 3 3/4-lengths in front of entry mate <strong>Hallway</strong>.<strong> <br /></strong></p>
<p><strong>HISSE BLOSSOMS ONCE AGAIN IN 2011 RED CAMELIA</strong>—Heiligbrodt Racing Stable’s <strong>Hisse</strong>, defending champion from last year’s <strong>$75,000 Red Camelia Stakes</strong> for older fillies and mares, took down winning honors once again in Friday’s 35th running.</p>
<p>The 6-year-old Buddha mare, trained by <strong>Steve Asmussen</strong>, was allowed to settle early by jockey <strong>Rosie Napravnik</strong>, gained the advantage at the sixteenth pole and drew off for a 2 3/4-length score.&nbsp; She toured the about 1 1/16-mile distance over the Stall-Wilson turf course rated firm in 1:44.84, increased her career earnings to $423,181 with her seventh win in 29 lifetime starts and returned mutuels of $4.40, $2.40 and $2.10.</p>
<p>Daniel Family Farms’ <strong>Skipping</strong><strong> Town</strong> took command in the stretch, could not withstand the winner but was clearly second best, finishing three lengths to the good of TK Riley Farms’ <strong>Riley’s Monarch. <br /></strong></p>
<p>Skipping Town paid $2.60 and $2.40, while Riley’s Monarch returned $5.60 to show.&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>KISSIMMEE</strong><strong> KYLE BEST IN THE BAYOU ST. JOHN STAKES—</strong>Red Oak Stable’s <strong>Kissimmee Kyle</strong> made the pace and continued willingly late in the inaugural edition of the <strong>$75,000 Bayou St. John Stakes</strong> &nbsp;for older horses at about 5 1/2-furlongs over the Stall-Wilson turf course and was best by a length and a quarter at the wire.</p>
<p>Ridden by <strong>Robby Albarado</strong> and trained by <strong>Al Stall Jr</strong>., Kissimmee Kyle set early fractions of 22.87 and 46.42 before touring the final distance in 1:04.04.&nbsp; He increased his career earnings to $237,505 with his fourth win in 16 lifetime starts and paid $6.20, $3 and $2.20.</p>
<p>Sam Citron’s <strong>Chief Jay</strong> got up for the place, paying $3.40 and $2.80 while finishing three-quarters of a length in front of Glen Warren’s <strong>Hud’s Rebel</strong>, who returned $2.20 to show.</p>
<p><strong>LOVENOTLOST CAPTURES CRESCENT CITY OAKS—</strong>Tri-Star Racing’s <strong>Lovenotlost</strong> launched a determined late rally in Friday’s <strong>$75,000 Crescent City Oaks</strong> to best Maggi Moss’s <strong>Lawson’s Lady</strong> by 1 1/4-lengths in the fifth renewal of the race restricted to accredited Louisiana-bred 3-year-old fillies.</p>
<p>Trained by <strong>Wes Hawley</strong> and ridden by <strong>Shaun Bridgmohan</strong>, Lovenotlost paid $10.80, $4.80 and $3.20, accomplished the mile and 70-yard distance in 1:42.51 and increased her career earnings to $128,450 with her fourth win in nine lifetime starts.</p>
<p>Lawson’s Lady, who made the pace with early splits of 23.72 and 47.26 was clearly second best at the wire, paying $5 and $3 while a length to the good of Dan Lynch, Ken Sentel and Merrill Scherer’s <strong>Tensas Punch</strong>, who returned $2.80 to show.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Racing NewsHisseKissimmee KyleLovenotlostMan of StrifeStar GuitarSat, 26 Mar 2011 01:23:58 +0000jimm9886 at http://www.fairgroundsracecourse.comKissimmee Kyle Tops Dixie Poker Ace, Older Stars Face Off in Saturday Allowancehttp://www.fairgroundsracecourse.com/news/archives/kissimmee-kyle-tops-dixie-poker-ace-older-stars-face-saturday-allowance
<div class="field field-type-text field-field-byline">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item odd">
Graham Ross, Staff Writer </div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="field field-type-text field-field-body">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item odd">
<p>Red Oak Stable’s <strong>Kissimmee Kyle</strong>, a Louisiana-bred owned by Florida-based John Brunetti of Hialeah Park, has been installed as the slight 5-2 choice in Saturday’s 30th renewal of the $60,000 <strong>Dixie Poker Ace Stakes</strong>, restricted to accredited Louisiana-breds at about one mile over Fair Grounds’ Stall-Wilson turf course.</p>
<p>Trained by <strong>Al Stall Jr</strong>., who conditioned Brittlyn Stables’ <strong>Star Guitar</strong> to win this race two years ago, Kissimmee Kyle will be ridden by <strong>Richard Eramia</strong>, Fair Grounds’ leading rider for the majority of the current season.</p>
<p>In his most recent trip to the post in the $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Turf Dec. 11, Kissimmee Kyle was easily second best, could not match the winning <strong>Snakebite Kit</strong> but will not have to face that rival again this weekend.</p>
<p>Second choice in the Dixie Poker Ace morning line at 3-1 is James Hanna’s <strong>Grey Papillon</strong>, who recorded a 16 3/4-length win – largest win margin of the Fair Grounds season through the first 28 days – in the $50,000 Louisiana Champions Day Starter Handicap Dec. 11. <strong>Tony Richey</strong> trains and <strong>Miguel Mena</strong> rides Grey Papillon, who also captured the $40,000 Louisiana Cup Starter Handicap at Louisiana Downs last May 22.</p>
<p>Capable of providing strong competition in the Dixie Poker Ace is Wachtel Stable, Brous Stable and Jerry D. Lee’s <strong>Desert Wheat</strong>, winner of the 2006 Louisiana Champions Day Turf, hero of the 2007 Dixie Poker Ace and once again winner of the Turf in 2009. Most recently, the 8-year-old son of Wheaton conditioned by Hall of Fame trainer <strong>Bill Mott</strong> was fifth in the 2010 Turf last month. <strong>Corey Lanerie</strong> rides Desert Wheat, third choice in the morning line at 7-2.</p>
<p>Completing the Dixie Poker Ace field is Heiligbrodt Racing Stable’s <strong>Hallway</strong>, winner of last season’s Dixie Poker Ace and this season’s $60,000 Mr. Sulu with <strong>Shaun Bridgmohan</strong> aboard; Charles Zacney and Edward Johnston’s <strong>Wildrally</strong>, winner of the 2008 Turf with <strong>Rosie Napravnik</strong> astride Saturday; Moran Racing Stable’s <strong>Classy Deelites</strong>, <strong>Jamie Theriot</strong> up; and Maurice Smith’s <strong>Sprightly Star, Kerwin Clark</strong> in the irons.</p>
<p><strong>CASH REFUND, BACKTALK, GRASSHOPPER VIE IN SATURDAY’S $53,000 CO-FEATURE – </strong>Richard, Bertram and Elaine Klein’s <strong>Cash Refund</strong>, a veteran of the <strong>Grade I Breeders’ Cup Sprint</strong> at Churchill Downs Nov. 6 and winner of Fair Grounds’ <strong>$96,000 Duncan Kenner</strong> and <strong>$73,000 Gaudin Memorial</strong> last spring, is pegged at 9-5 as the choice in Saturday’s <strong>$53,000</strong> allowance/optional claiming co-feature.</p>
<p>In his most recent trip to the post on Thanksgiving Day at Churchill in his only start since the Breeders’ Cup, Cash Refund, trained by <strong>Steve Margolis</strong>, finished fifth in what was projected as the Petitionville gelding’s turf debut, but that five-furlong dash was taken off the grass and run over a sloppy main track.<strong> <br /></strong></p>
<p>Second choice in Saturday’s co-featured six-furlong sprint at 5-2 is Gold Mark Farm’s <strong>Backtalk</strong>, conditioned by nine-time Fair Grounds trainer champion <strong>Tom Amoss</strong>. Backtalk was the winner of Churchill’s Grade III Bashford Manor and Saratoga’s Grade II Sanford as a 2-year-old in 2009, won Delta’s $72,000 Sportsman’s Paradise, was third in Hawthorne’s Grade III Illinois Derby and Fair Grounds’ $60,000 Bonapaw as a 3-year-old last year and will be making his 4-year-old bow Saturday.</p>
<p>The co-feature also highlights the return of William Farish, E. J. Hudson Jr. and Inwood Stable’s <strong>Grasshopper</strong>, away from the races for 10 months and returning to the barn of red-hot Fair Grounds trainer <strong>Neil Howard</strong> after a one-year sojourn with <strong>Kiaran McGlaughlin</strong> in Kentucky and South Florida.</p>
<p>Grasshopper won Fair Grounds’ <strong>Grade III Mineshaft Handicap</strong> in 2008 and finished second by a neck to <strong>Circular Quay</strong> in the <strong>Grade II New Orleans Handicap</strong> later that season. The 7-year-old horse is probably best remembered for his runner-up finish in the 2007 Grade I Travers Stakes after a stirring stretch battle with that year’s Kentucky Derby winner, <strong>Street Sense</strong>.</p>
<p>Oliver Pierce’s <strong>Sweetsouthernmoon</strong>, Maynard Chatters’ <strong>Southern Style</strong> and Kenny Desormeaux’s <strong>Dance Caller</strong> complete the field.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Racing NewsAl Stall Jr.BacktalkCash RefundGrasshopperKissimmee KyleRichard EramiaThu, 06 Jan 2011 23:11:39 +0000jimm8594 at http://www.fairgroundsracecourse.com